


If Only To Protect You

by androgynousclintbarton



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood and Injury, I'm Sorry, M/M, Psychological Torture, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:00:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24180103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/androgynousclintbarton/pseuds/androgynousclintbarton
Summary: Gai holds out as long as he can to keep Kakashi safe.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Comments: 5
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

Blood, that was all he could see. Red, thick, sticky blood.

It covered the floor, his leg, and he’s pretty sure it has covered at least half of his face after all the shots he has taken to the head.

It’s absolutely everywhere.

“Tell us where he is,” There’s that question again. He has heard it exactly 31 times now, and he’s certain they’re not going to stop asking any time soon. After all, they’re desperate enough to grab him on his way home from a mission, so they really want an answer. “Talk.”

Blood, now it was on his attackers face after he had responded to their demands by spitting it on them.

How much had he lost? How much more did he have left before…

He choose not to think of that. Someone was going to find him, they had to. He knew his friends, they’d never let him die in a dark dreary place like this. That just wasn’t fair.

He was meant to die in battle, protecting those he loved. Giving his life for a greater cause.

Not chained to a chair bleeding out from multiple wounds as his captures looked at him in disgust.

Though, he guessed this sort of counted as protecting those he cared about. After all, they wanted Kakashi and he would much rather die than give up his best friends location.

He’d rather suffer a thousand more punches than be the one to put Kakashi in this chair.

“This is getting tiresome,” His main attacker, the one who had been punching him for the past hour, stood up straight and turned to his partner “There has to be an easier way to make him talk.”

“I’m sure we can figure out something,” His eyes darted over to the other shinobi, focusing on the Kunai that he had pulled out of his leg holster.

Maybe this was it.

Maybe, for once, no one was coming for him.

He closed his eyes, a small smile pulling at his lips.

It was ok. He was doing what was right. He was protecting Kakashi.

He couldn’t think of a better reason to die.


	2. Chapter 2

Blood spattered everywhere, leaking over his front, spraying all over his enemy, drenching the floor. 

It covered everything, and as it did he could feel his life fading away. The darkness took over as his eyes slid closed just one more time. 

And then suddenly, he was back.

His chest was moving with each breath, his hands flexed against his restraints. There was life in his body.

"How many more times?" It's a taunt. They know he's not going to talk. He stopped talking after the 5th time he 'died' "how much longer are you going to hold out for someone who doesn't even care to show up for you?"

Somehow, those words hurt more than everything else he had been through that day. The pain, the torture, the gengitsus. None of it compared to the hurt in his heart as he thought about Kakashi. 

Was he really not coming? Did someone even tell him that he had been captured? Or was he just told that he had been killed in order to prevent him from going after him? 

He shook his head.

It didn't matter. None of it mattered. He wasn't going to give up his friend. 

"Another round i guess," he braced himself when he saw the man's hands moving into a familiar set of signs, and wondered how he'd die this time. 

  
  


Stabbing

A cut throat

Drowning

Electricity

His heart being cut out

Each death had been worse than the last. More realistic. More terrifying. 

But none of them compared to what he would be if he gave them what they wanted.

Nothing at all compared to being a friend killer. 

This time when he opened his eyes, the room was empty. His captors were nowhere to be seen. There was nothing at all. 

"Gai…" his eyes darted towards the entrance to the room, going wide when he saw a familiar head of silver hair. 

He had thought he had seen enough blood for a lifetime, but here he was looking at more. It soaked Kakashi's uniform, his hair and face spattered with it. 

This was it. The worst thing he had seen in his life. Hours of torture did not compare to this.

"Kakashi…" his voice was rough when he finally spoke for the first time in hours. Dry with dehydration, each word felt like daggers being swallowed. 

Kakashi's form moved slowly, dragging itself away from the door and heading towards him slowly. 

He looked tired. As if he had been fighting, none stop to get here. 

Still he was here. He had come for him. 

He smiled, his eyes glued on Kakashi as he made his way over to him. He couldn't wait to feel his friend's arms around his neck, hugging him tight in that way Kakashi always did whenever he came home from a long mission. 

"I was starting to think you weren't coming," he admitted, his smile growing when Kakashi stopped in front of him "you took your time."

"I'm sorry," he frowned. Usually when Kakashi apologized for being late he got a goofy smile in his eyes, even if he was tired. This time though, he just looked exhausted. Ready to collapse.

"Kakashi…" his heart stopped when he saw a familiar blue chakra, and the sound of chirping birds started to fill the room "Kakashi, what are you…"

"I'm sorry." It was the last thing he heard before he felt the sharp pain of Kakashi's hand ripping through his chest, leaving a hole where his heart was. 

Blood.

This time he didn't see the blood.

This time, as his life faded away, all he saw were those eyes. Soft and broken, but with no tears in sight.

This one had to be the worst. Not because he was dying again, he could handle that. No, this one hurt the most because the last thing he saw was his best friends eyes, broken beyond repair.

  
  
  


He gasped for air as the genjitsu finally faded away. This time the pain felt like a dull ache. His whole body had gone numb.

Would they really do it?

Would Konoha really send Kakashi to kill him?

"Now that's a talking face," he looked up to see his capture smiling, victory in his eyes as he looked down at him "i think we've finally gotten somewhere."

For the first time that day, Gai wasn't sure he could hold on anymore. He wasn't sure it was worth it.

He was sure he was about to spill. Tell them everything they wanted to know.

Give in.

But as his mouth opened to speak, the door to the room burst open with a flash of lightning, and in an instant there was more blood on the floor.

This time though, it wasn't his blood.

It was the blood of his captors, their lifeless bodies falling to the floor as a familiar head of silver hair stood up and extracted his arm from his tormentor's chest. 

"Kakashi…" his throat hurt when he spoke, but he had to. He needed to know.

"Gai!" His friend turned to look at him, fear in his eyes as he made his way to his side and reached out to undo his bindings.

Gai couldn't help it. As soon as he saw Kakashi's hand he ducked away, fear coursing through his veins as his friend stopped what he was doing. 

"Gai…" there was hurt in his voice. "What did they do?"

He shook his head. He couldn't vocalize it. He couldn't live through that again.

And no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't meet Kakashi's gaze.

It hurt too much. 


	3. Chapter 3

Most of the memories are terrifying themselves. All the blood, the death. The way’s Gai was killed. Inoichi is a grown man, twice Gai’s age, and he’s not sure he could have survived all of the things Gai did.

He’s proud of his friend’s students, but he’s also scared for him. This kind of mental trauma could take years to heal, if it ever does.

And he thought that was the worst of it. That Gai couldn’t have possibly experienced anything more horrifying.

He was wrong.

He was so wrong.

He knows this isn’t how things went down when Kakashi finally arrived. He read the mission report. Kakashi himself admitted that he left no one alive.

That he decorated the floor with his enemies blood.

So when he see’s an empty room and a tired, slow Kakashi in Gai’s mind, he knows that he has found another memory.

Another round of torture.

He expects something different though. Something involving Kakashi being cut down in front of his friend. Murdered in cold blood where Gai can see. After all, everyone knows that there is no one more important to Gai than Kakashi Hatake.

So when he see’s that chidori lighting up in front of Gai, he understands. He see’s why Choza has spoken about Gai flinching away from his best friends touch.

Avoiding his rival, where before he would actively seek him out. Challenge him. Spend time with him.

It take’s all of his strength not to scream when the chidori pierces through Gai’s chest. He can’t imagine a worse fate than being murdered by the one you’re protecting.

He drops the jutsu, allowing Gai another breather. This time, Gai’s face isn’t blank. He’s not hiding his fears and emotions.

He doesn’t have the strength to be a strong shinobi.

And Inoichi holds no judgement when he see’s the tears running down the young boys face. He understands.

He can’t imagine he would have survived a genjitsu where Shikaku or Choza were the one’s to kill him.


End file.
